Soldier – Barker, Edmund Tuffrey – The “Times” Out East

October 1942

South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 24 October 1942

The “Times” Out East

Evidence of how much the local boys look forward to receiving the ” South Yorkshire Times ” when they are serving abroad is furnished in a letter received from Gunner Edmund Tuffrey Barker, who is serving with the Middle East Forces.

In the letter dated September 28th he writes. “It’s good to read the “Times” once again after being without news from home.”

He asked that our correspondent should call and see his wife at his home address, which is 31, Prior Road, Conisbrough, and stated that one reason for writing the letter that in the Times dated July 11th reference was made to the Cadeby Colliery Disaster, which occurred on July 9th 1912, and in which his own father was killed, and he is under the impression that the date of the disaster was July 11th.

Our correspondent, secretary of the Disaster Fund, can assure him that the date given by the “Times” is the correct one, and he may be interested to know that there are still 13 widows receiving weekly payments from the Disaster Fund.

Gunner Barker has lived In Conisbrough all his life and will be remembered by his many Conisbrough friends as a painter. Just prior to Joining the Army he was employed on the colliery housing estate at Maltby.

A fellow workmate of his. Barron Hartley, also a Conisbrough man, is with the Middle East Forces and they are corresponding with one another.